Ben, 28
Kansas City

Being a web developer, I understand the vulnerability of my identity. Many of my clients are concerned with security – especially when dealing with the online transfer of vital information such as bank account numbers, credit card numbers and personal identification info. As a web development professional I am aware of just how much of our personal info is floating around out there and am constantly reading articles on websites and computers being hacked.

I realized one day that I have a security alarm on my house, an alarm on my car, but no safeguards in place to protect my identity. I decided to join OneYou and rest a lot easier knowing my personal information is protected.

Dana, 28
Corona Del Mar, CA

Not long ago, my cousin opened her monthly credit card statement only to find it several hundred dollars higher than she expected. Someone had purchased multiple plane tickets with her credit card. It took her months and endless hours on the phone to dispute the charges and finally have them taken off her card balance. In the meantime, she had to incur extra monthly costs and feared negative impact on her credit score.

She later remarked that she regretted not taking a few simple steps to protect herself and that a small amount of prevention could've saved her a lot of pain. Further, she speculated how much worse it could've been had she not been vigilant in reviewing her credit card statement. That's when I decided to contact OneYou and protect my identity.

Scott, 40
Houston, TX

My family E-filed our 2007 tax return and shortly thereafter it was kicked-back with a notification from the IRS stating they had already received a return for my wife's SSN. We did some digging and found that someone in New York had stolen my wife's SSN, filed a fraudulent return, and received a Federal Income tax return under our name!

Needless to say, filing our taxes and actually receiving OUR return went into a tailspin and a very lengthy delay. We filed in February and did not get a refund until August – 7 months later! During the process, we found out pretty quickly that no one within the federal government is in the position to assist with identity theft. We spent months being shuffled from one government body to another with each pushing us off onto another authority like a vicious circle – from the IRS, to the SEC, to the FBI and back to the IRS.

We had to prove that we were who we said we were and this took forever! The real worry, however, is that we don't know how our identity was stolen, if the thief still has it,  and if / when they might use it again.

In the end, we were able to straighten everything out, but I'm certain my wife nearly had a nervous breakdown during the ordeal. We vowed this would never happen again and shortly thereafter joined OneYou.